The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1887-01-17

| House Is rebel cannon taken from Lees ar
my by the First Maine cavalry. But these
relics. though looked at with interest by the
stranger. are soon passed unnotleed by the
officers and legislators who throng the Capt.
tolat this season. Buttwo rooms Of the Capt.
tol contain relics of the War that are brought
! continually to public attention, and wi be
for years to come. In the Adjutant Gener-
ais office are the muster rolls OF Maine
troops for three wars; in the State Pension
Agents office is the roll Of State pension
ers.
Though many may not be aware Of the
fact. Maine, aswell as the United States, is a
pension paying friend Of her sons who have
served her. In 1866, soon after the war Of
the Rebellion ended, the Maine Legislature
took measures to relieve for year disabled
soldiers and sailors. Each succeeding Legis-
lature did the same, until 1874. when the
present law, unlimited in the time Of its APP
plication. was enacted. Soldiers and sailors
who served in the war of 1861 on the quota
OF Maine and were disabled while in the line
of duty, are the benefciaries Of this act But
unlike the United States pension, which Is
often received by man in. comfortable cir
cumstanees, the State pension goes only to
him who may be unable from his own re-
sources, and the United States pension to OBJ
tain livelihood" The same law, however,
which extends the State aid only to those
who are in danger of becoming public
charges, provides that no veteran who served
in the war Of 1861, and in consequence Of the
hardships Of that service becomes dependent
on the public for support ''shall be COR
sidered pauper, or subject to disfranchise-
ment for that cause" The State also ex-
tends its help to the widow of the veteran ;
to his orphan children under II years Of age,
and such over II and under p years, as may
be disabled by accident or sickness; and to
his dependent parent or sister. Every three
months the treasurers Of our cities and towns
pay out these pensions, which can be no
more than eight dollars month 10 each per-
son and as the years go by the number in
creases very fast. The men who were verg-
ing on forty-hve years when the war began
are now getting old, and many Of them, hav-
ing left their yocations to serve their coun-
try, find themselves In the evening of life
with little or no means Of support. Almost
every town and city has a few such veterans,
or their widows or orphans. In Portland
there are 35 State pensioners, and in the
whole State there are upwards Of 700, $50 Of
whom are women. For the last two years
$4,000 were appropriated by the Legislature,
but this has not been enough to allow the
payment of many just claims. Colonel Hen
~ Sprague, who has been a very efficient
pension agent for the last two years, and
will continue in the Office under the new
Governor, says that the appropriation for
the next two years should be larger IL the
State is to fulfill its obligations to its vete-
rams. Applications are coming in very fast,
and will continue to as the men who were
ranged from youth to middle age in 1861
now come along to extreme old age.
The Pension Office is very much depend
ent on the records of another office in which
the old soldiers are much interested. In the
Adiutant Generals Office are kept the mus
ter rolls Of Names soldiery and in these
rolls are the records Of the men who served
their State in 1872, in 1861, and In the famous
Aroosto0k war. The muster rolls Of the
Mexican war are not possessed by this Office
and it was not until within few y sars that
the rolls Of the 1872 war were bought Of H.
X. Harmon, Esq, Of Portland. who had for
tunately secured them. A few years ago.
when the pension laws affecting the widows
Of soldiers Of 1912 was passed by Congress,
these rolls were very valuable in looking up
records. Now the rolls most consulted are
those Of the war Of the Rebellion, and they
are In demand almost daily. Does a veteran
want to join the Grand Army, get United
States pension, a refuge in the Soldiers
Home, or a position Of any sort, he sends 10
the Adjutant Generals office for the certif-
cate Of discharge, for he very likely has lost
tAV piCCC VI paper SANCn Nutu uC was
mustered out twenty or more years ago.
All this handling has left the rolls very much
wrinkled and torn. Some OF them will hard
ly hold together. Adjutant General Gala
CHER, who keeps these records with pains
taking care, showed me one torn very badly;
it was the roll Of the 10th Maine, General
Chamberlain's old regiment, In which
so MANY PORTLAND MEN
served. The paper was yellow and brittle,
and the roll would barely hold together to
be unfolded. But two years ago the State
made arrangements TO have these rolls cop
led, and the work IS now going on under the
Adjutant Generals direction. But II Is a
great work, and 1t will be some time before
ii is finished. To each mans name there Is
on the roll the record Of his service, often
with remarks on his relations to the service.
One soldier Is put down as killed In battle,
another died at home, another In q hospital,
another was made prisoner, to another GER
tain money was due, or some clothing which
he had not drawn; few are borne In the
rolls as deserters. When II Is remembered
the public defense, and that she furnished
72,945, or more tnan one-tenth OF her popula-
tiOn, IL will be seen that the labor Oh copy
ing these rolls is not Insignificant Ot these
men more than one in every ten perished IN
battle or hospital, and about another OF the
ten was sent home for wounds or disabiliti-
es. Every man, or nearly every man Of these
isaccounted for on these rolls, and his record
must be made out accurately and faithfully,
as on itmueh may depend. An instance of
the Importance may be single
item in veterans record has recently been
illustrated.
received a letter from New Richmond, OhtJ.
1t was written in cramped hand by some
friend of Joseph Shuman, private Of
Company c., Fourth Maine Volunteers.
WIS geJI1ng OLD, was past his 10th
year, the letter said, and was in great need
- -.
old when he enlisted, he had given his age
as 80 in order that he might be allowed TO 20
with the younger men. Now he had been
trying to get pension from the government
but must have certificate of discharge from
the Maine Offce. The adjutant general
opened the muster roll of the Fourth regi-
ment and found two Shumans in that regi-
ment and Joseph had no record of discharge.
A letter was sent to the Ohio vete-
ran telling him that he could not have an
honorable discharge as he had deserted.
Nothing was heard from him, and the adju-
tant general had almost forgotten the occur
renee, when, in looking over the rolls, he
found single muster-out roll hearing JO-
seph Shuman's name, with this endorsement
Prisoner of war; captured Aug 9TH 1854 at
Fairfax Court House; released March %,
1865, at Wilmington, N. c.; mustered out
and honorably discharged April 9th, 1865.
All haste was made to send a certificate of
discharge to New Richmond, and soon let
ter expressing great gratitude was received
from the old veteran, who owned to having
been
VERY DOwN-HEARTED"
after leaning that he could not get the certi-
ficate. This letter was written in another
hand, and evidently by another person, who
told for Shuman the story of his long cap
| tivity. He was FIRST confined in Libby pris-
on, but broke out. As he neared the Union
| lines he fell in with negro, also making his
way to the land of the free. They joined
| their fortunes and were almost safe in the
| Union lines when they were retaken by a
| party of rebels. Shuman was treated not
only as an escaped prisoner, but was tried
| for ''nigger stealing" and put In dungeon.
| Then ne was transferred to other prisons,
and when the old Fourth Maine went home
and were mustered out Shuman was drag
| ging out his
| CAPTIVITY IN THE SOUTH,
| and no record was made Of his discharge.
/ This left to him the record Of a deserter. un-
/ til he appeared In 1866, after confinement In
| six different rebel prisons, and was honor
| ably discharged. The letter ended with
many thanks, and, nothing being heard TO
| the contrary, 1t was supposed that Shuman
was eniOying his pension. But the first Ol